Singapore-based Shavonne Wong is an award-winning fashion photographer with 8 years of experience under her belt. Having started out as a self-taught photographer armed only with passion, a diploma in IT and a dash of stubbornness, Shavonne started her photography career from scratch to what it is today. She shoots to tell a story, to give viewers a glimpse into someone else’s world. She especially loves a good challenge from adventurous clients who enable her to push the boundaries of their project concepts. Check her out on Instagram @shavonne.wong or visit her website.
During a recent trip to America, I had the fantastic opportunity to photograph Billy Porter, Broadway megastar and fantastic actor from the TV series Pose.
When it comes to working with celebrities, shoots are always planned according to their schedule. I was lucky enough to be able to get him booked for three hours inclusive of makeup and styling which gave me just enough time to shoot six looks. The studio I had booked for this shoot had huge windows that allowed beautiful natural light into the space. The second I walked in, I knew that natural light was going to be the main light source. In order to make sure there is enough light on Billy while still keeping the look very natural, I had one light with a silver umbrella hitting the white wall at the back and another light with an octa to make him pop a little more.
As with all my shoots, the shots are tethered from my camera (Fujifilm GFX 50S) to the software Capture One on my laptop. Tethering into Capture One allows me to see my images tweaked to my liking in real time. This means that the celebrity, his crew and mine can all see the images closer to what the finished product would be like. The makeup artist and stylist are also able to clearly see how their work looks and if any adjustments need to be made.
Additional retouching was done in Photoshop and final colour grading touches from the Infinite Color Panel.
Gear
Fujifilm GFX50S
FD 45mm f.28
GF 63mm f2.8
GF 110mm f2
2 Profoto Heads
1 Silver Umbrella
1 Octa
1 White V-flat
1 TetherPro Cable
The Team
Photographer: Shavonne Wong Photography
Talent: Billy Porter
Stylist: Sam Ratelle
Grooming: La Sonya Gunter
Styling Assistant: Ashley Dai Stephens, Alexandra Bucokova
Dancers: J’royce Jata, Malik Berry, Malachi Vaughn
